Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan

Nebraska Weekly Press Conference
Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006
Memorial Stadium - Lincoln, Neb.
Pre-Texas A&M

Head Coach Bill Callahan
Opening statement
“Like we talked about the other day, Missouri was a good divisional win for us. It gives us a lot of positives to build on, and a lot of things that we’re still addressing and improving, and we’ll continue to do that today when the players get in. We’re game planning right now very heavily for Texas A&M. They’re a very good football team, I like their team. It’s going to be a really big challenge for our football team. I’m really excited about the opportunity to go down to College Station and face them in a great environment.”

On preparing for Texas A&M’s running game
“When I watch the running game, (sophomore quarterback Stephen) McGee is the guy they really center around as well. So not only do they have the two running backs, (freshman running back Mike) Goodsen and (sophomore running back) Jorvorskie Lane to contend with, but you’ve also got a quarterback that can really run the option well, and make plays with his feet, not only in the running game but in the passing game as well. He does a great job scrambling and he is an upstanding leader for their football team.”

On how the defense can prepare for sophomore running back Jorvorskie Lane
“We’ll do the best we can, just trying to hit them and tackle them. He’s a force, there is no question about that. He’s powerful, there are people bouncing off of him. He knows how to lower his pads in the lane and not let people get at his legs. He’s an outstanding player. That’s why he has the yards and touchdowns he does. He’s a physical guy, he loves contact, he searches it up. So that’s a great challenge for our team. Then they can really change it up when Goodsen comes in the game. You get so accustomed to just pounding such a big guy, then Goodsen comes in and he’s such a different pace and speed, and probably one of the fastest guys in the country I’ve seen this year that can just take the ball and go. This is going to be an outstanding challenge for our defense today, defending not only those backs but also their quarterback who runs the option as well.”

On what to expect from Texas A&M’s offense
“They have pretty good balance. When you look at them statistically and their overall production, they’re one of the few teams in the country that has a run-pass balance, and at a high level as well. So they put out a lot of yards, and a lot of numbers, and they can run it and get into the passing game pretty easily, and spread the ball out. They have the option, the two-back option, and then they can switch gears on the next down and be in no-back, or empty, throwing the football. So they’re pretty diversified, and they’re doing a lot of things. They have a lot of bodies for what they’re trying to do, and I know they’re giving us a lot of things to work on from a defensive standpoint. So not only do you have to prepare for option responsibility, and the physicality of knocking down the big running backs and the speed we’ll need to get to Goodsen, but now we’ve got to contend with emptying out, and dealing with all the empty sets, and then the quarterback insert runs that they’ll portray off of those looks. So it’s a full plate, there’s no question about that.”

On whether the win against Missouri for control of the Big 12 North comforted the team at this point in the season
“We’re just focused in on this particular game. Everybody knows what’s at stake here. Our players are focused ? their attention span in meetings on Sunday was excellent. Their preparation on the off days was great, there were guys coming in to do things completely on their own, on a volunteer basis. They have a good understanding of what it’s all about. You’ve got to compete at a high level no matter where you are, especially on the road, in this particular conference.”

On how the team will prepare for playing at Kyle Field
“We won’t know until we get in there, but having (Associate Athletic Director for Football) Coach (Tim) Cassidy, who spent about 25 years down there, he has a pretty good understanding of what that environment is like, and I think he’ll paint the picture pretty well for our team, and give us some insight and information. But until you’re down there dealing with it, you can only do the best you can. But it’s going to be tough. It’s a great, great college environment from what I understand. I’ve never coached or played down there, but I’ve heard about it from everybody who’s been there. From what they tell me, the pageantry down in College Station, at Kyle Field, is one of the best, so we’re embracing that, and we’re looking forward to that. I know it will be a real challenge to deal with the crowd noise and everything else that goes on.”

On the advice Tim Cassidy gave him on playing at Kyle Field
“Oh, he’s given me plenty of advice. He basically just said you have to deal with those factors, just like any team does when they go down there.”

On the evaluation of the team this year when facing high levels of noise in away stadiums
“I think it’s unique in every stadium that you go into, with each stadium and its different levels. I think this will probably be the loudest stadium that we’ll go into. I thought we dealt pretty well with the noise factor when we were out at the Coliseum (when facing USC). The big thing about noise is that you try to eliminate third-down penalties. That’s the big thing, when you get backed up on the down-and-distance, or if you’re in third-and-long, or even if you’re in third-and-medium, you sure as heck don’t want to get backed up into a third-and-long (situation). So inch penalties, those penalties when the tight ends or the tackles can’t hear very well, because they’re focused on pass protection, those are the elements that are tough to deal with. That’s the challenge in itself, so that you don’t get backed up, and you don’t let that noise hurt you in the down-and-distance game."

On the problems that have faced sophomore quarterback Stephen McGee this year
“Well he’s an outstanding competitor, and that’s where you have to begin. If anybody had a chance to watch their game against OklahomaState in Stillwater, you got a pretty good feel for what he’s like as a competitor and a player. He does it all well. He’s a coach’s son, so he has a real familiarity for football and all the finer points of competition. If you watch him compete in the passing game, he understands the progression. If the play breaks down he can continue to create. And then of course there is his ability to run the option and take command of that aspect of their game. So he’s pretty well diversified in everything they do.”

On what was impressive about Saturday’s performance from freshman defensive back Major Culbert
“His maturity. Just his overall maturity in handling that role and that position, and really grasping that opportunity to do well for that football team. I was impressed with his concentration and focus in assignment football. I think that’s probably the biggest thing that showed up, and of course the physical maturity it took to make big plays. I think that, in a nutshell, is what you’re looking for in a young guy like that. Because he’s got tremendous skill ? he’s got strong safety abilities, outside linebacker abilities ? he’s one of those tweener-type guys that can play down on the paint, play physical, and still cover pretty well in underneath coverage aspects, and run and chase as well as you would like him to.”

On whether freshman defensive back Major Culbert’s strong performance means he will be seeing more game time
“It just depends on the scheme, and where we’re going to head with our scheme, and which one we’re going to feature.”

On why the defense played better against Missouri than against Oklahoma State
“Well I think the nature of Missouri’s attack was different. They’re primarily a pass offense, spread offense football team. With the personnel matchups you’ve got to be constant with who you’re matching up. So that’s a little bit different, as opposed to what Oklahoma State presented. OklahomaState presented a little bit more of a balanced attack than what we saw from Missouri, even though Missouri showed the ability to run the ball better than what we thought.”

On the biggest challenge the team is facing right now
“Just the overall consistency of our second-half football. I’d like to see us come out better in the third quarter. We talked about that at great length as a staff. Just trying to improve that aspect of playing well in the third quarter. I think that’s one of our least productive quarters. We started out better than we had in years past in the very first quarter, the first series, and for that matter the first half. We just want to become a better second-half football team, the mentality of being better in the very first drives in the third quarter. I think we can go back and look at some of those early second-half drives against IowaState and Kansas that faltered in the third quarter, and we just want to try to improve upon that. Just getting on the board, and trying to complete a score in the opening series in the third quarter would be huge for us. And then countering a team like (Texas) A&M, who’s very strong in their second-half performance. If you look at them statistically, and what they’ve done in the second half to opponents, they’ve been very strong. They’ve been rock solid in terms of adjusting and coming out of the locker room, and coming back from behind and taking leads, and really doing a good job of defending their opponent’s offense.”

On sophomore tight end Martellus Bennet
“Athletic ability. Size range, speed, hands. All the features that you look for in a great player. They are loaded. They’ve got weapons ? they have such a heavy emphasis on the run that now their play-action can get focused on the tight end, who has tremendous skills. He has it all.”

On whether the Big 12 North is closing the gap between it and the Big 12 South
“I’m not so much concerned about the other teams in our division as I am with us. We’re closing the gap with many of the teams in our division, and this will be a good game to test that for us, especially on the road, down there at (Texas) A&M. It’s hard for me to say, we competed well against Texas, but we didn’t close the deal and finish the game the way we wanted to finish it. I was on the teleconference yesterday talking about that, and how we were closing the gap between the (Big 12 North) and our (Big 12 South) counterparts, and then we didn’t fare too well down in Stillwater (against OklahomaState). So this will be another test for us, and another gage for where we’re at, and how we compare to those southern teams.”

On whether he sees a talent gap when playing southern teams
“I’d have to really go back and study all that to compare them. I look at Colorado beating Texas Tech, and it can change every time. Every game is different, so it’s hard to say one way or the other, for me personally.”

On senior quarterback Zac Taylor needing just 109 yards to break Nebraska’s career passing leader David Humm
“I’m happy for Zac, but I think he’d be the first one to tell you he’s not concerned about the statistic. It’d be nice and all, but I think he’s more concerned about winning, and that speaks to his character, and his focus as a player. If it comes it comes, if it happens it happens, but I don’t think he started the season trying to break any record, he just wanted to improve with us as a football team and win as many games as we can. If it happens, it’s a great milestone for him. In terms of (career-passing yards record holder) David Humm, I’ve got great respect for him. I knew him from my days at the (Oakland) Raiders, and he’s just a tremendous guy. I think he would be pleased with Zac as a person, a leader and a player if he ever had the chance to meet him, and I think he’d have a real respect for him as well.”

On the similarities on offense between Texas A&M and Nebraska and the key points to winning Saturday’s game
“The key point here is time of possession, and in a game like this, we’re going to have limited possession, because A&M does an excellent job of running the football. We’re not going to have a lot of opportunities in terms of drive opportunities, so we’ve got to do a great job of capitalizing on the opportunities that we are presented with. They’re well-balanced, and they know how to move the ball, feature their players, and get the ball in the playmakers hands. To their credit, they’ve done an excellent job, and I think they lead the conference in time of possession and are up there nationally. They’ve taken full advantage of what they’re trying to get done on offense.”

On why Oklahoma decided to run the ball against Texas A&M
“I think Oklahoma ran the ball because that’s what Oklahoma does well. I think they run the football well, and I think if you go back and look at Missouri and that matchup, they ran the ball very well there. I think they’re fully committed to coming downhill. I don’t think I saw them in very many spread-gun runs in the last few games on film. They’re more in the eye, they’re coming downhill, they’re running the off-tackle power, and they’re running the zone play. I think there are a lot of similarities between what they’re doing and what we’re doing.”

On when it makes sense to use the three-man front
“Using the three-man front all depends what the situation is. A lot of people use it more in the nickel, when it’s a longer distance, like second-and-long and third-and-long. It all depends what the sets are and what the personnel groupings we’re confronted with are. I think that all depends on what were going to get from a personnel groupings standpoint.”

On what defines Texas A&M offensively
“I think they do an excellent job containing the edges. Their ends play wide, and they play what they call nine-techniques, and they really funnel the ball inside. When you’ve got good end play, whether it’s to the tight end side or the open side, and they can force you to keep everything funneled inside to their big inside tackles, that’s a real challenge for us as a football team. I see them being consistent with that type of play. They’ll use a four-three, then they’ll use a four-three-five, and they do a good job of mixing it up well. They’ve got sound coverages, and like I said, you watch them in the second half against Oklahoma and they did an excellent job of coming out and making the adjustments they needed to make.”

On the evaluation of the offensive line following the changes made for Saturday’s game against Missouri
“I think overall those young kids got experience in the football game. I look at our line as being more consistent, and I think it was a great opportunity for all of those kids like (sophomore offensive lineman) Lydon Murtha and (Andy) Christensen and (freshman offensive lineman Jacob) Hickman to come off a little bit more consistently. It was a good changeup, and not to take anything away from (junior offensively lineman Chris) Patrick. I like (Chris) Patrick’s toughness and his physicality, but again, I think we’re using everybody, and I think all of those players gave us added dimension to our running game and to our passing protection."

On freshman offensive lineman Jacob Hickman
“I’m not surprised. I think Jake is a great kid. He’s a tough guy, and he’s a natural football player. There are some guys where you have to manufacture technique, and continue to groove it and re-emphasize it. And for some guys it’s like raising the flag every day. But for this guy, you tell him once, and he’ll adjust to it. He’s got great pretension, you never have to tell him twice, he can self-correct on the move. He has great pass-protection ability and quickness that we really like. So I think he’ll only get better, and help the overall competitive level of our offensive line.”